This invention relates to the field of pastry forming apparatus and more particularly to a pastry forming apparatus wherein a plurality of tools for the forming and working of dough and pastry are detachably interconnected together.
A cook or baker commonly has access to and utilizes many different tools in the preparation of food. These tools are typically stored collectively and loosely in drawers and the like in a kitchen area. When food is being prepared, the cook or baker must access and retrieve particular tools from the collection. Commonly, considerable time can be lost in locating, retrieving and collecting the specific tools needed or desired for a particular preparation task.
In the interest of saving time and labor, it would be desirable and useful to have tools that are employed in a given preparation procedure consolidated and thus stored together. Thereby, the task of locating, collecting and retrieving individual tools is simplified and shortened, and time and labor are conserved.
In a single pastry forming (including preparation) procedure, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, various individual and separate roller and crust forming and shaping tools are commonly employed, perhaps four or more separate tools being utilized. If a particular generic set of these tools could be consolidated into a common structural arrangement, then the foregoing problems associated with locating, collecting and retrieving individual separated tools are eliminated, or greatly minimized, since only one tool assembly would need to be preliminarily located from a general tool collection, which could be a brief and simple matter.
In pastry forming, a starting dough body is typically spread and rolled into a flattened sheet-like configuration using a roller to produce a crust (for subsequent processing). Prior art rollers include rolling pins and (typically) smaller rollers. The former comprise a cylindrical roller with an axially projecting and rotatable handle at each opposite end for two-handed operation. The latter comprise a roller whose opposite ends are rotatably associated with opposite terminal ends of a fork or yoke that is itself joined to a handle that extends perpendicularly and medially relative to the roller axis for single handed operation. The latter rollers are commonly either cylindrically shaped, or barrel-shaped (outwardly convex and relatively short in length), the latter configuration apparently being useful for rolling dough up the side of a container, such as a pie pan, or the like.
Also, in pastry forming, finishing tools are commonly employed. Common finishing tools include a fork-like tool having projecting sharp tines and a crimping tool. The fork-like tool is commonly used for making puncture holes in the upper crust of a pie to permit steam to escape from the pie during baking. The crimping tool is commonly used to impress and join together adjoining rim portions of the upper and lower crusts of a pie before baking.
There is a need in the pastry forming art for an improved consolidated pastry forming apparatus that incorporates both dough rolling means and pastry finishing means. The present invention aims to fulfill this need.
The present invention is directed to consolidated pastry forming apparatus that incorporates roller means and finishing means and wherein certain individual tool components coact yet are conveniently and simply detachably associated with one another.
The roller means comprises a roller assembly that includes an elongated handle which has a fork at each opposite end. Each fork has a roller rotatably mounted between the terminal ends thereof for rotation about an axis that is generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the handle. One roller has a cylindrical side surface, the other is relatively shorter and has a convex side surface.
The finishing means comprises a unitarily formed tool that includes a generally flattened, somewhat elongated handle. At one handle end is a plurality of outwardly projecting tines for dough puncturing or marking, and at the opposite handle end is an enlargement for dough crimping or localized compressing.
The finishing tool is removably connected to portions of the roller assembly handle. Although this connection can be variously achieved, it is presently preferred to provide opposite side portions of the finishing tool with longitudinally extending, outwardly projecting flange portions that are configured to engage matingly rabbet portions provided in opposing side edge portions of the handle of the roller assembly.
When associated with the roller assembly, side surface portions of the finishing tool cooperate with the handle of the roller assembly to provide a smooth and easily held composite handle member that is useful in dough rolling using either one of the two rollers.
Thus, the inventive consolidated pastry forming apparatus incorporates a reversibly interconnected and cooperatively associated set of pastry forming tools comprising two independently operated dough rollers, a pastry (or dough) puncturing and marking tool and a pastry (or dough) crimping or localized compressing tool.
The inventive consolidated pastry forming apparatus provides a generic set of pastry forming and working tools in a common structural arrangement.
The apparatus is sturdy, convenient, easy to use and maintain and readily stored and retrieved for use in a pastry forming and/or working procedure.
Other and further objects, features, purposes and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those familiar with the pastry and pastry tool arts from the following description taken with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.